Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy revealed Thursday that “billionaire after billionaire” has offered to help bankroll him to run against New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Portnoy told Jeff Edelstein on the latest Business of Betting podcast that the “unsolicited” financial promises are being made by “serious people.”
“If I wanted to run for mayor of New York, I could have the biggest war chest probably in the history of political war chests,” Portnoy told Edelstein, confirming he’s still considering a run.
“I have billionaire after billionaire willing to fund a campaign if I was going to do it.”
Portnoy, who is also nicknamed “El Presidente,” first revealed his nascent political ambitions late last month on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” telling the host he’d “love to” run against Mamdani — because developments in the Big Apple have left him “losing my mind.”
But even with the heaps of money the wealthy are pledging to donate, Portnoy told Edelstein that he’s still unsure about making the final decision to run.
“Depends on the day you get me. Today I have a cold and don’t feel great, so today I am not running for mayor,” Portnoy said.
While the “One Bite Pizza” reviewer said he’s still worried about developments in New York City, the New England native still wonders “who the heck” would want to enter the political arena.
“It would be a decision because I felt like I had an obligation to do it,” Portnoy said.
But Portnoy’s still teased that he’s weighing the decision.
“As you’ve said, you have to be a little crazy to do it,” Edelstein asked Portnoy. “Are you a little crazy to do it?”
“I am a little bit crazy,” Portnoy said, “but this is a different type of crazy.”
